“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit (Eph 3:16 NLT). This is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. He also prays for the Colossians to be “strengthened with all power according to His glorious might to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy” (Col 1:11 RSV). I believe the kind of strength Paul is praying for is an inner strength which would enable them to be patient and joyful in all circumstances.

1 Tim 1:12 (NLT) says, “I thank Jesus our Lord who has given me strength to do His work”. A different word for strength is used here in the Greek, “endynamoo” which means to increase in strength and also to enable. The same word is used in 2 Tim 4:17 (NKJV), “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me so the message might be preached fully through me.” These 2 verses are talking about strength for God’s service but it is still a strengthening or enabling that comes from God. Another verse using this same word is Eph 6:10 (AMP), “Be strong in the Lord (draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him) and in the power of His (boundless) might”. Phil 4:13 is a very familiar and often quoted verse but I love it in the Amplified Bible, “I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal for anything through Him who infuses strength into me. I am self sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency)”. Wow!

These verses all encourage us to rely on God’s strength (rather than our own) so we can be strong as Christians and in God’s service and as a result be more useful to God. I don’t know about you but I need that kind of strength!

Hosea 6:3 (NLT): “Oh that we might know the Lord.”

Hosea 6:6 (NLT): “I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”

Wow! To think that we mere mortals can know almighty God, who created the universe and knows all things! According to verse 6 our relationship to Him is more important than what we do for Him. This word “know” doesn’t mean just knowing about God but knowing Him personally.

In the New Testament, Paul said, “That I may know Him (experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His person more completely). (Phil 3:10 AMP).

That would seem hard to attain. How can we know God? Well, John tells us in 1 John 4:7 (TPT) that, “everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of Him.” So, developing our “love life” would be a good place to start and of course we grow in our knowledge of God by spending time with Him (just like we would with any human person we wanted to get to know). It all gets back to the Bible and prayer!

"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5b-6; NKJV).

God clearly has no time for pride and arrogance in people, but he will bless, use and promote the humble person. To be humble, as the word is used in both the Old and New Testament, literally means to make low. It describes a person who avoids arrogance, self exaltation and self promotion. A humble person is one who is submitted to God. Such a person realizes that all he has, is, and does is entirely a product of Jesus in his life. Moses was described as more humble than any man (Numbers 12:3). John the Baptist was content to tell his disciples that he must decrease as Jesus increased (John 3:30) and Jesus' humbled Himself to the point of washing the feat of His disciples (John 13:1-17). Jesus also instructed His disciples that if they desired to be great they should first learn to serve (Mark 10:43b). Jesus served to the extent of giving His life as a sacrifice for our sins (Mark 10:45b). Wow, lots to think about.

Blessed is the man who's: "delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:2-3; NKJV).

The Word of God is truth (John 8:31-32) and life (John 6:63).The Word is powerful (Hebr 4:12) and works in us (1 Thess 2:13) to convict us of sin (Psalm 119:11), cleanse us of sin (John 15:3), open the door for salvation (Rom 1:16) and change us to be more like Jesus each day (2 Cor 3:18).

God's Word always achieves its purpose (Isaiah 55:11), is a joy and delight to the heart (Jer 15:16), heals (Psalm 107:20), never passes away (Matt 24:35) and brings success and prosperity (Joshua 1:8). We should immerse ourselves in His inspired word, our Bible (Col 3:16; Joshua 1:8; 2 Tim 3:16-17), teach it and live it (Matt 4:4)! The results are wonderful.